Australia’s refugee problem has attracted global attention. This from the New York Times.
PM’s 2020 committee has a touch of Oscar
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The excitement is mounting for the Government’s 2020 summit. In a sort of ceremony akin to Academy Award nominations, the Prime Minister has unveiled a “steering committee” composed of luminaries who will lead discussion at April’s talkfest. And as if to make up for missing out not once but twice last night, Cate Blanchett heads the list. Blanchett, who seems to have supplanted Judy Davis and Our Nic as Australia’s go-to luvvie, will lead the “Towards a creative Australia” group. This section of the agenda intriguingly includes “Future directions for the ABC, SBS, Australia Television and Radio Australia”, about which the Prime Minister is known to have strong views. The rest of the steering committee is a mixed bag. Warwick Smith (whom in retrospect everyone wishes had taken to gig as ACMA Chairman) should know plenty about infrastructure and, crucially, how to get the private sector to fund it, albeit at usurious rates of return; David Morgan, Roger Beale and Michael Wesley all have considerable experience, respectively, in economic, environmental and security matters. But Tim “bucketloads of extinguishment” Fischer is a poor choice for matters RARA. If Rudd insisted on having a Nat for regional issues, he should have asked John Anderson, who at least has a functioning brain and tried to find regional development solutions outside the pork-barrel when Minister. And Tim Costello is a predictable choice for communities and social inclusion who will bring nothing new to the debate, which perhaps was the idea. Young surgeon Dr Kelvin Kong has a strong record in indigenous health but you wonder if Rudd was more interested in someone untainted by indigenous politics than getting someone with a real capacity to spark ideas in what is morally the most significant summit agenda item. As for the nomination of News Ltd’s John Hartigan for the “governance” agenda, well, that presumably Rudd’s unsubtle idea of irony. All of these august individuals will help pick the lucky 1,000 (count ‘em) summit participants. The possibility of being personally selected by Cate should see the summit website flooded with nominations from fans of the luminous queen of stage and screen. There’s only one slight drawback, although admittedly it is one that is hard to avoid. The appointment of sector experts in each area to select participants and lead debate might embed the same old same old in the summit outcomes. Groupthink can be terribly difficult to avoid when you’ve been in the same area for decades. Perhaps putting the Chief Executive of News Ltd in charge of governance isn’t such a bad idea. He’s likely to bring a fairly novel perspective to the issue. |
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17 Comments
Anderson was a guy with enormous integrity. Where’s Howard now? Enjoying retirment, having whipped Keating’s, Beasley’s X2, Crean and Latham’s arse and compelling Labor to pick a Howard ‘clone’ to have a ghost of a chance.
It’s amazing what the unborn are blamed for and ‘rough justice’ when one form of violence is met with worse violence. Would that someone would speak at the summit for the unborn, the voiceless, 50% of whom are girls, someones sister/daughter.
Jeez, I didn’t realise those south-of-Mason-Dixon kooks were shelling out money for Crikey subscriptions nowadays. Why don’t we just reverse female suffrage? That’d get rid of those pesky Emily’s Listers. Um, anyway. More women on the steering committee!
Anderson??? Just a play thing of Howard - at no time did he have the G & Bs to stand up to Howard - rolled by 2 backbench chicks on a decision that he (Anderson) had made and where is Howard now.
What is certainly not needed are apologists for this killing of the unborn like the Australian Fabian Society. The many Emily’s List candidates in the new government who attempt to conceal their affiliation should be on notice re this barbarism.
Anderson was a guy with enormous integrity? a pretty looking do nothing who let the transport infrastucture fall apart.
What about some more women, too? Margaret Jackson instead of David Morgan. Hilary Charlesworth instead of Hartigan. Time for one of the trademark quick ‘we got it wrong’ stunts, Kevin. Blame your mate Glyn.
How on earth could the PM and his minions not manage to come up with ONE woman from science or business. Co-chairing women from parlt doesn’t cut it. Penelope Toltz
The one issue that wont be discussed is the ongoing violation of that most fundamental of human rights, the right to life.The medicare funding of abortion, the destruction of tens of thousands of unborn Australians, with its attendant morbidity for mums
More real women on the committee? Cate’s great. She doesn’t proclaim a ‘quasi masculinity’ as feminism. More real mums who appreciate that the kicks they feel belong to a real person.
The question is this - will a single person be harmed by this exercise? NO? So stop whining.
I’m saddened by this strange exercise, which seems designed to achieve nothing. Labor has already a related group which could - and should? - be used as an ongoing source of ideas, the Australian Fabians. Less controllable, perhaps?
The imbalance of the sexes means that women will not be properly represented and they have plenty of ideas. Rudd will come to rue the day he decided to hold a future summit with the middle class boys tag team in charge. It is a good idea, poorly executed.
So ironic this corrosive summit ‘vanity exercise’ to co opt/hush public critique of govt (hoping for an invite), now corrosive blow back re gender justice, in turn opportunistic intro of legendary corrosive effect of pro choice/life. Cynic v cynic v cynic
johnjames, get over it. A womans right to choose is the most basic right a woman should have. We should illegalise abortions when women stop getting raped, abused. Stop Violence against women first, then bring your condemnation. Or take it to the summit
On RARA representation, I heard Bruce Haigh on Conversation Hour and that guy is quite different, very intelligent and knock about, returned to the land in his ‘retirement’ too.
Rudd may havve been aiming for a partisan free debate, but this just proves that its still jobs for the boys. Cate is obviously only a token, and should just stay at home and change nappies, leave the thinking to the men, and be happy about it